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Comic charm

It's hard to take your eyes off Miriam "Midge" Maisel when she takes the stage. Whether it's at a cafe in New York's Greenwich Village or in front of a judge or at her own wedding, the lead of Amazon's new TV series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is a commanding presence, a force who can be as overwhelming as she is funny.

Played by Rachel Brosnahan, Midge is a coiffed Jewish mother of two living in a rambling Upper West Side apartment in 1958. Her idyllic domestic bubble is burst when her husband leaves her for his secretary, and she discovers an untapped gift for stand-up comedy.

The series follows her unlikely journey as a trailblazing female comedian and her even more unlikely friendship with a potty-mouthed bohemian Susie. The series is produced by Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino, the husband-and-wife team behind the hit Gilmore Girls, who are well-known for their screwball banter.